Jason Swartz was hired July 1 by the Chase County Sheriff’s Department, bringing the staff to four.

A 1991 Lexington High School graduate, Swartz most recently was a Red Willow Sheriff’s deputy for two years.

After working for the Dawson County weed district following high school, Swartz took classes through North Platte Community College.

However, his heart was leading him toward something else.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army, and was stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., for his four years of active duty. He was a sergeant in Bravo Company 18 Infantry, serving three deployments: one in state and two in Iraq.

After active duty from 2000-04, he served until 2013 in the reserves.

During that time, Swartz attended the Grand Island Training Center and was a Lexington police officer for four years before moving to McCook.

His military experience led him to pursue a career in law enforcement.

“It was similar to law enforcement, so I made the choice to move over to law enforcement,” he explained.

He was a team infantry leader in the army, performing IED route cleans, guarding at target check points and being a presence patrol.

Swartz declined to talk about his military experience. Instead, he’s focusing on his new job.

“I’m here to try to help people. I’m concerned about the town I live in and take pride in that town,” he said.

He wants to point people, especially young people, in the “right direction” by being a role model and a good example.

Swartz stays close to parents Jo and Keith Swartz and brothers Justin and Jerad, all of Lexington.